Harmony at Work is derived from the scientific field of neuroplasticity, how the brain shapes, and continues to reshape, itself, to consolidate stronger neural connections by interesting and engaging your customers in enjoyable activities (meaningful experiences). -- “The Brain That Changes Itself,” by psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and researcher, Dr. Norman Doidge.

Harmony at Work

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First there was “Access”. Then came Universal Design. Harmony at Work is the evolutionary step that transcends mere functionality to create meaningful experiences that every customer can share in, together, in the same way.

HARMONY AT WORK IS LIKE SEX FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

Think of it as “5-sense design,” as characterized by designer, Jinsop Lee. “Good design looks great, yes, but it should also feel great, smell great and sound great.”

Harmony At Work is a total immersion experience of the senses, in order to meaningfully connect with customers, memories, and emotions. According to Lee this total immersion experience of the senses is also what makes sex great, and the near perfect human experience.

“Why is sex so damn good? Sex is so good because of the five senses.” Lee’s research on memorable human experiences found that [great] sex was the only experience that even came close to being perfect. Participants in the research said that great sex hits all of the five senses at an extreme level. "Sex is so good, it's good even when it's bad.”

According to Lee, the research conducted to prove this five senses theory explains why sex is so good.

Lee’s conclusion was derived from a 5 senses graph he created with a scale from 0 - 10 along the y-axis, and the 5 senses along the x-axis. Anytime a participant had a memorable experience in their life, they would record it on this graph like a 5 senses diary.

The results of this Sensory Diary illustrate just how profound senses are to the customer experience:

Eating instant noodles recorded high marks in taste and smell, obviously, but sound scored a 3. Many people reported that the slurping noise is a big part of the noodle-eating experience.

Clubbing reported a 4 taste rating. Respondents reported the reason to be, not only, the taste of drinks, but also, because kissing is a big part of the clubbing experience, which also alludes to the sense of touch to be considered.

Smoking rated touch a 6, one of the reasons reported was that the sensation of holding a cigarette and bringing it up to your lips is a big part of the smoking experience.

The Five Senses study conducted by Jinsop Lee validates his theory that designers mainly focus on making things look very pretty, and a little pleasant to the touch, but largely ignore the other three senses.In conclusion, Lee exclaims that the five senses theory is a very useful tool in evaluating different experiences in life, and incorporating those best experiences into designs.

He remarks, “Now, I realize the five senses aren't the only thing that makes life interesting. There's also the six emotions and that elusive x-factor.”

This is exactly where “Harmony At Work" tunes in. Touch, sights, sounds and smells all evoke emotionally charged memories. That’s because the same part of the brain that's in charge of processing our senses is also responsible, at least in part, for storing emotional memories.

Your ability to smell, for instance, is highly linked to memory. You must remember when you smelled a scent before then connect it to visual information that occurred at the same time in order to identify it. Research even demonstrates that studying information in the presence of odor actually increases the vividness and intensity of that remembered information when you smell that odor again.

On another note, music from our past evokes autobiographical memories. While sounds help us associate with a particular community landscape. An acoustic community creates a unifying relationship with our environment through the positive functions of sound. This happens when sound is heard clearly within an area to reflect that community. Acoustic cues and signals are aural reminders and temporal nods to the rhythms of daily life. They help define an area spatially, temporally, socially and culturally.

Designing with “Harmony At Work” is like giving your customers great sex, and hitting the highest marks in every sense. Even more than that, it is like every great love affair, where there is that extra, special connection that makes it meaningful.

Lexus says: "The difference is not just price. Luxury has to do with the overall experience.”

"Emotion" distinguishes a luxury car from a mainstreamer, according to BMW.

Cadillac defines luxury as "the feel of the vehicle. Buyers decide what luxury is (by the experience).”

Harmony At Work - is customer "luxury" by putting the "experience first, defining it, then designing your products, services, physical or virtual environments to include customers of all different abilities, cultures, backgrounds, ages, and languages in sharing it together.

This powerful neural connection amounts to superior customer loyalty. Everyone wants loyal customers. But loyalty comes from an emotional bond. Think of it in terms of your loyalties. Most assuredly your loyal to your family and friends because of your emotional connection with them.

More than half the typical customer experience is emotional. But, most organizations ignore this fact and concentrate their experience on the “what” rather than the “how.” A well-designed customer experience deliberately engages customers emotionally.

Your customers are feeling emotions, with the experience that you are providing them, at this very moment. The issue is that you have no control over these emotions, because you have not deliberately "defined & designed" that experience.

To retain customers and create loyalty you must design an emotionally engaging experience. Accessibility, Universal Design, Great Design - Only consider the "what". What function the product, service or environment was designed to perform. You need to consider something more. Something much more. How do you want your customers to feel about the way they experience that function.

Sadly the experiences of all customers differs across the spectrum of physical, cognitive, visual and hearing ability, as well culture, language and age. Think of it in terms of cars. Great design, Universal Design, and accessibility are all considered in the design of every vehicle. It determines where instruments such as the odometer are placed, along with levers, pedals, etc. It focuses on users in terms of ergonomics, safety, and functionality. All cars do this. Then you have LUXURY CARS.

WHAT CONSTITUTES VEHICLE LUXURY?

LUXURY CARS are a driving experience!​

Harmony at Work takes accessibility and universal design that next logical step to deliver an exceptional, or luxury, customer experience. It is both a design methodology, as well as an achievement that meets the needs of the broadest range of different customer’s abilities by first defining a provocative purpose, then designing a pathway to engage as many of your customers senses to include all of them in sharing that experience, together.